Office of the Inspector General Definitions

Allegation: An assertion, complaint, suspicion or incident involving any of the following conduct by an employee, facility or agency against individuals: mental abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse, neglect or financial exploitation.

Financial exploitation: Taking advantage of an individual's assets, property or financial resources through deception, intimidation or conversion for the employee's, facility's or agency's own advantage or benefit.

Mental abuse: The use of demeaning, intimidating or threatening words, signs, gestures or other actions by an employee about an individual and in the presence of individuals that results in emotional distress or maladaptive behavior, or could result in emotional distress or maladaptive behavior, for any individual present.

Neglect: An employee's, agency's or facility's failure to provide adequate medical care, personal care or maintenance, and causes an individual pain, injury or emotional distress, resulting in an individual's maladaptive behavior or the deterioration of physical or mental condition, or puts an individual's health or safety at risk of possible injury, harm or death.

Physical abuse: An employee's intentional and inappropriate contact with an individual that causes bodily harm. Physical abuse includes actions that cause bodily harm as a result of an employee directing an individual or person to physically abuse another individual.

Recommendation: Means an admonition, separate from a finding, that requires action by the facility, agency or Department to correct a systemic issue, problem or deficiency identified during an investigation.

Sexual abuse: Any sexual behavior, sexual contact or intimate physical contact between an employee and an individual, including an employee's coercion or encouragement of an individual to engage in sexual activity that results in sexual contact, intimate physical contact, sexual behavior or intimate physical behavior.

Substantiated: There is enough evidence to verify the allegation.

Unfounded: There is no credible evidence to verify the allegation.

Unsubstantiated: There is credible evidence, but not enough evidence to verify the allegation.